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Save energy at school

Top tips to manage your energy use, keep energy bills down and develop an energy policy.

Managing energy use and costs in schools

Keeping energy costs down

To help keep costs down, maintained schools are included in Oxfordshire County Council’s energy-purchasing contract with LASER, an arm of Kent County Council and recognised buying organisation for the public sector.

LASER buys energy for more than 100 local authorities and makes use of its bulk buying power to purchase supplies at a competitive price.

Energy bills

Check your energy bills when they arrive and try to avoid estimated bills.

The our energy bureau validates energy bills for all maintained schools in Oxfordshire, providing a safety net which should help avoid over or under charging. If you have any queries or concerns about your bills, contact the team by emailing energybureau@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Monitor your energy use

You probably know how much you spent on energy in the past few months, but do you know how much you used? Having a clear picture of your energy use over time will help you avoid unnecessary costs.

An automatic meter reader or smart meter will help you spot unusual patterns of use, highlight opportunities to be more energy efficient and save money on your energy bills. More information about monitoring energy.

Top tips to keep costs down

Electricity

Turn off computers and monitors when not in use – they still use power if left on standby.

Turn off equipment and lights whenever you can.

Using a kettle? Only boil as much water in as you need.

If you have a 'point of use' water heater check if it has a timer installed. If not, consider turning it off at the end of the day and over the weekend.

Gas

If a room is too hot during winter, turn heating down before opening windows.

Avoid blocking radiators.

How to manage your energy use

Follow the simple steps below to put in place a process to help you monitor, manage and reduce your energy use. Click on the links to find further details, hints and tips, and sources of advice for each step along the way

Creating an energy policy for your school

The energy team in your school

It's important to recognise that staff and pupils are your biggest asset when it comes to driving down energy consumption. The Energy Team should engage with staff and students in order to help facilitate behavioural change and manage the school building's services efficiently.

Monitoring and metering energy in schools

Writing an energy action plan

An energy action plan is an key part of your school's energy management system. It should summarise the actions you want to take at your school to use energy more efficiently and, where possible, reduce energy consumption. It should help you raise awareness and gain support from the whole school community.

Setting an energy reduction target

Once you have written your energy policy, established your energy team and conducted some initial monitoring to get an idea of your baseline energy use, it's a good idea to set a target for reducing your energy consumption.